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Buffalo State College

Multimedia Portfolios: The Need for a Separate Curriculum

Leah Sciabarrasi MacVie

July 14, 2008

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction……………………………………………………..Page 3

Chapter 2 Review of Literature……………………………………………Page 6

Chapter 3 Research Methodology…………………………………………Page 13

Chapter 4 References……………………………………………………....Page 15

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Chapter 1 Introduction

“Multimedia: Computer Science Of or relating to an application that can combine text,

graphics, full-motion video, and sound into an integrated package.” (The American

Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, 2006)

Statement of Introduction

Multimedia students today are not given many options or directions for

developing a multimedia specific portfolio. Often these students face the prospect of

being lumped in with the more established fields of art and technology. While it is

important for every student to have a working portfolio, it is even more important for

multimedia students to have a presentation portfolio. (Kilbane & Milman, 2003). It is this

type of portfolio that will appeal to employers and help these students to best assess

themselves. (DiMarco, 2006; Kilbane & Milman, 2003)

Purpose of Paper

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the reader to various types of portfolios,

specific portfolios in the art industry and to illustrate why a separate portfolio is needed

for multimedia students in schools that employ a portfolio curriculum. The available

research focuses on effective ways electronic portfolios can be used by teachers and

general art students. There are relatively few sources that concentrate on multimedia as a

topic itself. Often in research, multimedia is used to expand other concentrations such as

art and technology without acknowledging multimedia as its own separate field. The

separation of multimedia from other genres of art should be recognized and celebrated.

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Theoretical Framework

The issues that make up the theoretical framework of this paper are all student

centered; meaning that the student will be the one to gain from a separate multimedia

portfolio curriculum. Since most portfolios are designed to help the student demonstrate

their skills to potential employers, students will have a better understanding of specific

employer expectations because the curriculum and the instructor will be able to reference

field-specific case studies. (DiMarco, 2006) The instructors will be more experienced and

knowledgeable in the curriculum because they will be hired strictly for their expertise in

multimedia and their knowledge of the field.

A separate Multimedia Curriculum will call for a design process specific to

developing a multimedia portfolio and will be able to offer the student more options

based on their strengths. Through effective training, students will experience a greater

self-confidence in relation to developing their portfolio and in job placement. Hopefully

with these specific skills, students will be better prepared for the rigors of the interview

process because they will have developed a portfolio geared for the demands of their

profession. (Chambers & Wickersham, 2007)

Essential to the creation of a multimedia portfolio is peer interaction and critique.

By interacting with their peers, students will have a better understanding for multimedia

portfolio expectations and will be able to compare their work with other students;

therefore allowing for more effective critiques. (Chambers & Wickersham, 2007;

Creative Review, 2004) Although the field of multimedia encompasses many aspects of

art and technology, multimedia specific portfolio classes will allow students to be

concentrated in one area, rather than being distracted by different fields. Students will

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individually be able to evaluate their strengths and aid in finding the strengths of others,

because they will all have been trained in producing a portfolio featuring their best work

through the most effective means.

Conclusion

This paper will seek to prove why a separate portfolio curriculum is needed for

multimedia students. The curriculum will help them find the best means of presenting

works of various genres, rather than a general curriculum targeting no specific student.

Since this is a topic not widely researched, the current information being referenced will

include general art and teacher portfolios as well as current multimedia portfolios.

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Chapter 2 Review of Literature

Introduction

There are several steps that a student must take to create an effective portfolio.

Most students will opt to take the steps that lead to a two dimensional portfolio because it

can represent the mediums they work in best. Multimedia students must take another path

to best represent their three dimensional media. Multimedia students are often not given

many specific options or directions for developing a multimedia specific portfolio. While

it is important for every student to have a working portfolio, it is even more important for

multimedia students to have a presentation portfolio (Kilbane & Milman, 2003; Creative

Review, 2004). It is this type of portfolio that will appeal to employers and help

multimedia students to best assess themselves (Kilbane & Milman, 2003; DiMarco,

2006). This Literature Review will look at the following references to help determine

whether the following statements are fact:

1. Multimedia students produce three dimensional work that should be shown in its original form.

2. A multimedia specific portfolio curriculum for students can help them to best assess themselves.

3. A multimedia specific portfolio curriculum will offer multimedia students more options towards building a presentation portfolio that

potential employers are looking for.

Statement 1: Multimedia students produce three dimensional work that should be shown

in its original form.

This first research statement seeks to identify and define the work produced by

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multimedia students and why it should be displayed in its original form. With the

expansion of the internet, the field of multimedia has vastly grown (Pagani, 2005). Many

new academic programs are being created at colleges across the world and students are

looking to find a job in the new multimedia field. This new field has coined the term

“Multimedia Designer”, which can refer to many jobs ranging from instructional design,

modeling and animation, graphic design and web design (Garrand, 2001). Most colleges

are studying current trends and training their multimedia students in many different areas

of multimedia to better prepare them. With so many options to fit into one portfolio, how

can any one student produce a successful portfolio of their work in a non-specific

curriculum?

When a multimedia student graduates, most can expect to have a wide range of

skills specific to the type of work produced by multimedia students. As a rule, students

will have worked with text, graphics, motion and sound. Students can expect to walk

away with different types of graphic design. Students may have examples of their web

design work uploaded to the internet for worldwide viewing, or if not uploaded, then on a

storage device ready for digital viewing. 3D Modeling is also a portion of a multimedia

portfolio and can be divided up into modeling and animation categories. Students will

have examples of their work in fine art, two dimensional animation and often times, also

in video. Any one of these examples of work could be formatted in linear or non-linear,

two dimensional or three dimensional, and or black and white or color (Purchase &

Naumann, 2001). With so many options, a regular two dimensional portfolio will not

suffice.

In any case, the student will want to make sure that everyone can view their

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portfolio and will not require special hardware to do so (Creative Review, 2004;

DiMarco, 2006; Kilbane & Milman, 2003). Because there will be a variety of content, the

student may want to think about how they will present their portfolio. The options for

presenting a portfolio are numerous. Often students may choose to use a linear portfolio

or they may choose to offer the viewer controlled options. Depending on the method of

presentation, the student must also include their resume, awards, copies of transcripts and

any other documents they see fit to be included. Some options for these students to help

present their portfolios can include web sites, edited videos, flash animations or multi-

page PDFs (Creative Review, 2004).

There are many advantages to a digital portfolio. Digital portfolios are accessible

and portable. “Because digital resources can be reproduced easily and inexpensively,

portfolios in digital format also can be reproduced easily and inexpensively. As a result,

materials can be made available to a larger and wider audience” (Kilbane & Milman,

2003, pg8). With a class full of various programs, it may be difficult for an instructor to

give full attention to the details that multimedia portfolios require, therefore warranting a

separate curriculum.

Statement 2: A multimedia specific portfolio curriculum for students can help them to

best assess themselves.

Portfolios are often used for student assessment. Students will also be able to

assess themselves through the development process. “When portfolios are used as the

basis for assessment, progress on real-world tasks can enable the tracking of growth over

time and help individuals learn to assess their own progress against standards of quality”

(Kilbane & Milman, 2003, pg16). Many multimedia students find inspiration for

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standards of quality in the print media, the internet and their peers. Together as a team,

multimedia students in a separate multimedia portfolio curriculum can build quality

driven portfolios that represent the best of their multimedia works. They will be able to

assess themselves against their classmates and differentiate their portfolios by

emphasizing their individual styles.

A student developing a portfolio will not only be able to assess their work, but

they will also be able to identify their strongest and weakest skills. It is this reflection that

will help them to expand and improve their existing portfolio content. “It is only through

reflection that the portfolio developer can communicate the context, historical and

cultural biases, and lessons learned that may have influenced the development or

implementation of an artifact” (The Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in

Education, 2006). Most portfolios “call for extensive informal and formal reflection at

various points and on various levels” (The Johns Hopkins University Center for

Technology in Education, 2006). From this, the student will build a strong foundation of

reflection and self-assessment. Reflection will give students the confidence they need to

understand and improve upon their shortcomings. “In sum, portfolios can be used as an

instrument for reflection, for career guidance, and for formative and summative

assessment” (Beishuizen, J. & Banyard, P. & Twiner, A. & Vermeij, H. & Underwood,

J., 2006).

Multimedia students will have a wide variety of concepts to contemplate as they

assess themselves. They will have learned several theories associated with animation,

uses of video, color and the internet. Typically, not only are they bombarded with theory,

they also learn several different programs and methods of fine art during their education.

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Students, when compiling their portfolios, should have a large body of work in various

media to choose from. It is important that the student learns the best method toward

developing their portfolio to make sure it is not overburdened with content. The practice

of reflection can really help in specifying their best interests and content (DiMarco,

2006). A curriculum centered on multimedia portfolios can help students to best reflect

on their specific talents and interests.

Statement 3: A multimedia specific portfolio curriculum will offer multimedia students

more options towards building a presentation portfolio that potential employers are

looking for.

The general process of building a portfolio fosters self-confidence. (Kilbane &

Milman, 2003) A multimedia portfolio building process will include the preparation of

materials into digital format which requires the student to develop and combine

technology, knowledge, and skills. Students will be using most of the abilities they have

learned to construct a combination of their best work. Students will be able to recognize

their growth in skills and other qualities that might be appealing to employers.

During the Winter of 2007, Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc. interviewed

301 employers about their recent graduate hires. The results showed that employers

endorse electronic portfolios of student work as a valuable tool “both for students to

enhance their knowledge and develop important real-world skills, as well as for

employers to evaluate graduates’ readiness for the workplace” (Peter Hart Research

Associates, Inc., 2008, pg2). Although it is true not all of these employers were

representatives from multimedia companies, the results are proof enough that employers

are looking for well developed skill specific portfolios that indicate a graduate is ready

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for the workplace. In order to do that, the student will have to be prepared to present their

best body of work in the most efficient way possible.

Finding a job today is harder than ever and the multimedia field does not escape

this truth. Often times, there are ways that a student can maximize their chances at getting

the job that they really want. One way is to know who their target employers are and

what it is that they do. They should do research on the employer, know the kind of work

the employer produces and the type of clients they have. With these things in mind,

students should be able to tell the employer why they would fit in and be an asset to the

company (Creative Review, 2004). A multimedia student can be best prepared for

interview topics with a curriculum designed just for them.

Students will also have to be able to explain the work in their portfolio. They will

have to explain verbally, as well as by labeling the pieces correctly inside their portfolio.

Multimedia classes often use group work and assignments that often has the student

finish half-created work. Students should be prepared to talk about and label what part

they had in the project and how all the pieces were put together. They may also have to

explain why they decided to include the particular portion that they worked on and how it

relates to the company they are interviewing with (Creative Review, 2004).

Multimedia students should also try to generate feedback from anyone who does

view their portfolio (Creative Review, 2004; Kilbane, C. & Milman, N., 2003). This

feedback can come from other students in the class, their family, faculty members, and

potential employers. Everyone will have a different perspective and students should be

encouraged not to be offended if those perspectives don’t reflect their own. They will

gain from each encounter and will be able to understand the feelings of people who come

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across their portfolio. Multimedia students will be able to offer helpful hints to each other

if students and teachers are all under one curriculum.

Conclusion

The development of a multimedia specific portfolio offers many different

possibilities and options to the student. Although options are endless, a presentation must

be selected that best represents the body of work. Portfolios are an important part of

demonstrating curriculum. They not only allow the potential employer to evaluate the

student, they also allow the student to assess themselves. A separate portfolio curriculum

will help multimedia students find the best means of presenting works of various genres,

rather than a general curriculum targeting no specific student.

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Chapter 3 Research Methodology

Introduction

The purpose of this research study is to determine whether or not multimedia

students would benefit more from a portfolio curriculum concentrated on multimedia

portfolios rather than a general portfolio. Most students working on a general portfolio

will opt to take the steps that lead to a two dimensional portfolio because it can represent

the mediums they work in best. Multimedia students must take another path to best

represent their three dimensional work. A curriculum that offers multimedia students

methods and options specific to a multimedia portfolio will best embody their collection

of work. It is this curriculum that will help them to build a presentation portfolio, the type

of portfolio that appeals to employers and will help multimedia students to best assess

themselves (Kilbane & Milman, 2003; DiMarco, 2006).

The research methodology of this study is based on the successful research

conducted by Sharon M. Chambers, Ph.D. and Leah E. Wickersham, Ph.D., both from

Texas A&M University. Their study, The Electronic Portfolio Journey: A Year Later,

conducted a follow-up study investigating the use of ePortfolios with Masters students.

The study was performed through use of an open-ended questionnaire that was

administered to twenty-six students. It was performed to assess the implementation of the

ePortfolio in three student learning outcomes, self-knowledge, technological and

organizational skills development and knowledge and skills transfer. Results proved to

show changes in student learning after the second semester of implementation. The

statistics that emerged from the questionnaire showed the study group felt the ePortfolio

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helped increase knowledge, offered a way to reflect on one’s work, allowed a method to

view peers’ work, increased technology skills and increased confidence. (Chambers &

Wickersham, 2007)

Sample

Participants in the study will be chosen from five colleges with multimedia

programs that implement a general portfolio class. A separate multimedia class will be

designated. Faculty teaching the class will be given a briefing and a curriculum designed

especially for the multimedia students.

Instruments

The sample group will be administered an open-ended questionnaire after the

course comparing their growth over time, self-knowledge, organizational skills

development and their reflection on the effectiveness of their produced portfolio. Past

multimedia graduates will also be administered the questionnaire. The main role of the

questionnaire will be not only to understand the effectiveness of a multimedia portfolio

curriculum, but to discover its advantages and disadvantages.

Data Analysis

The data will be interpreted into percentages so that the current results could be

compared against the past results. The statistics will then be published in a comparative

list format.

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References

Beishuizen, J. & Banyard, P. & Twiner, A. & Vermeij, H. & Underwood, J. (2006). The Introduction of Portfolios in Higher Education: a comparative study in the UK and Netherlands. European Journal of Education, Issue ¾ (Vol. 41), 491-508.

Chambers, S. & Wickersham, L. (2007). An Electronic Portfolio Journey: A Year Later. Education, Issue 3 (Vol. 127), 351-360.

Creative Review. (2004) How to Get a Job. Creative Review. Issue 11 (Vol. 24), 37.

DiMarco, J. (2006). Web Portfolio Design and Applications. Hershey, PA: Idea Group Publishing.

Garrand, T. (2001). Writing for Multimedia and the Web. St. Louis, MO: Focal Press.

Kilbane, C. & Milman, N. (2003). The Digital Teaching Portfolio Handbook. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon for Pearson Education, Inc.

Pagani, M. (2005) The Encyclopedia of Multimedia Technology and Networking. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference.

Peter Hart Research Associates, Inc. (2008) How Should Colleges Assess and Improve Student Learning? Employers' Views on the Accountability Challenge. Washington, DC: The Association of American Colleges and Universities.

Purchase, H. & Naumann, D. (2001). A Semiotic Model of Multimedia: Theory and Design and Evaluation. Management of Multimedia Information Systems: Opportunities and Challenges, 1-21, Hershey, PA: Idea Group Publishing.

The Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education. (2006) The Johns Hopkins University Digital Portfolio and Guide: Documenting Your Professional Growth, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.